Health Care Reform And Consumer Directed Health Care

Presented By: Joe L. Gaither

Consumer Directed Healthcare Is Not A Product; It’s A Strategy.

The strategy is to create informed and confident consumers capable of making value-based healthcare decisions.

• •

Consumer Directed Healthcare:

A partnership between the employer and the employee A new promise that combines: ► Premium Savings ► ► Education for Healthcare Decisions Wise use of Healthcare Dollars

What Is the targeted result of Consumer Directed Healthcare?

• Lower Trends and Long Term Cost-Containment • Decisions based on realistic costs associated with healthcare

Some Consumer Directed (Driven) Health Care Definitions

•

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) health sav·ings ac·count

(hělth sā'vĭngz

uh

-kount )

noun

They are combined with a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) to give employees money to spend at their discretion on Health Care Expenses. Contributions can be made by both Employers and Employees up to the yearly limits established by IRS. Unused funds roll forward each year and earn interest. All monies belong to employees and go with them upon termination. Money must be spent on eligible medical expenses; if not then the employee pays an excise tax penalty.

•

Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) health re·im·burse·ment ac·count

(hělth rē'ĭm-bûrs‘ment

uh

-kount )

noun

These are similar to HSAs in some respects. Main difference is funding is only by the employer, no employee contributions are allowed. Employer may allow carryovers, of partial carryovers each year. Monies usually stay with the employer upon termination. Require CMS reporting and COBRA administration.

•

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) flex·i·ble spend·ing ac·counts

(flek-s

uh

-b

uh

spěnd-ing

uh

-kounts)

noun

They are usually part of your Cafeteria Plan. The medical FSA is the one that we are concerned with and it shares some characteristics’ of the HSA with one big difference. That difference is the so called “use it or lose it provision”; meaning that any funds left in employee accounts at year-end forfeit to the employer and do not roll over like the HSA. These are usually employee funded with pre-tax dollars but employer contributions are allowed as well.

•

Medical Expense Reimbursement Plans (MERPs) med·i·cal ex·pense re·im·burse·ment plans

(med-i-k

uh

ik spens rē'ĭm-bûrs‘ment plāns)

noun

These are the oldest form of CDHC plans. They are always employer funded and resemble an insurance plan. In fact, they have been called self-insured plans when used in place of a base insurance policy. The employer acts like an insurance company up to a certain point and then actual insurance kicks in. Some large companies use these plans in lieu of a traditional insurance company plan. These are also used by smaller companies to self-insure the deductible on a high deductible health plan and sometimes to self-insure dental or vision benefits.

•

High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) high de·duct·i·ble health plan

(hahy dih-duhk-t

uh

-b

uh

hělth plān)

noun

Best described as a Major Medical Plan with a high out of pocket cost (high deductible) before insurance coverage kicks in. Deductibles usually range from $2,000 and $4,000 all the way to $10,000 and $20,000.

With health insurance premiums ever on the rise, employers and employees must cope with higher co-payments, higher deductibles and increased provider restrictions. Many employers are now exploring alternatives to standard medical care that combine insured high-deductible health plans (HDHP) with CDHC Plans to ease this burden.

CDHC Is the Fastest Growing Segment Of Health Care In Last 5 Years

ASSET LEVELS GROWING:

In 2009, there was $7.1 billion in consumer-driven health care assets; up from 2006, when there were

$835.4 million in assets

, and

ENROLLMENTS GROWING:

HSAs alone: in 2005 1,031,000 in 2009 10,090,000

Today’s Health Insurance Landscape

• Health insurance costs continue to rise each year.

• Employers have experienced double digit rate increases over the last decade.

• For most groups: 2010 increases are running between 12% and 22% •

What does that mean going forward?

Immediate Impact of Health Care Reform

• Pre-existing condition coverage for children age 19 and below • Preventative care coverage with no co-insurance • No lifetime limits on Benefits • Coverage of dependents up to age 26

What will this do to your insurance rates next year?

New Coverage For Young Adults Will Raise Premiums

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON

STUDY OF U.S. TREATMENT EXPENSES

Letting young adults stay on their parents' health insurance until they turn 26 will nudge premiums nearly 1 percent higher for employer plans, the government said in an

Insurers' cancer costs rise

estimate released Monday.

Suzanne Hoholik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The cost of treating cancer has nearly doubled from 1987 to 2005, and health-insurance companies are picking up most of the costs, according to a new study.

Health Care Reform and Your Cafeteria Plan One of Oldest Forms of CDHC

60 Day Notice For “Material Change”

– Must be Summary of Material Modifications (SMMS) format – $1,000 a day penalties – Can apply to OTC changes in existing plans – Pre-tax premium account – Dependent Care Account – Medical Flexible Spending Account • Elimination of OTC drugs and medicines w/out a prescription • Effect on “grace period” • Change in Dependent definition • Cap on Medical FSA-starting 2013 • Cadillac Tax-all account type plans

New “Simple Cafeteria Plans”—Starting 2011

Cafeteria Plans will be treated as meeting the nondiscrimination requirements if they meet certain minimum eligibility, participation and

minimum contribution

requirements. This “safe harbor” will also apply to certain benefits offered under the Cafeteria Plan umbrella.

Eligible employers: eligible if, during the preceding two years, the business employed 100 or fewer employees on average business days • Business once eligible can grow to 200 employees • Usual aggregation rules apply for multiple entities (IRC 52 & 414) • Some exclusion rules apply (age 21, 1yr service, 1,000 hrs, Union ees) • Each eligible employee must be able to elect any benefit available under the plan under the same terms and conditions as all other participants

Simple Cafeteria Plans - continued Minimum Employer Contribution Rules

•

Must be sufficient to provide benefits to non-highly compensated employees (NHCEs) of at least:

A uniform percentage (at least 2% ) of compensation, whether or not the employee makes salary reduction contributions to the plan; Or the lesser of a 100% matching contribution or 6% of the employee’s compensation •

Nondiscrimination Safe Harbor

benefits and contributions tests are met 25% key employee test is met nondiscrimination tests that apply to individual benefits under the plan are also met •

Prohibitions for Self-Employed Owners still in Force

Cafeteria Plan participants still must qualify as “employees”

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs): Employer Plans

• • • • • • Viewed as true consumer directed health care-coupled with High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) Typical plan design--$2,000 and $4,000 deductibles Employer premium savings from HDHP plan is partially used to contribute to HSA for participating employees Once monies are contributed they are exclusive property of employee Unused portion roles over each year and earns interest or is invested HSAs are portable and go with employees when they leave • • •

Changes from Health Care Reform

Over-the-counter drugs no longer allowed without a prescription starting 01-01-11 —effective Penalty for using monies for non-medical expenses increased from 10% to 20% excise tax Escaped relatively unscathed from Health Care Reform

• •

HRAs and MERPS: 105(h) plans

Used extensively in Consumer Directed Health Care (CDHC) Are essentially employer self-funded medical plans • • • •

Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) —Uses

To provide benefits under the high deductible health plan Alternate to HSAs Used to fund employer funded dental and vision plans Can be used to fund specific benefits under any type medical plan • • • • • • • • Changes Over-the-Counter drug exclusion in 2011 Effected by CMS regulations beginning 10-01-10 COBRA compliance required Annual and Lifetime limits unclear on these plans Age 26 extension Must cover preventative care with no cost sharing Waiting periods in excess of 90 days prohibited-1-1-2013 Subject to “Cadillac Tax” in 2018

Summary of Benefits and Coverage Explanation:

•

Applies to all plans

Must be furnished participants initially and at time of reenrollment • Cannot be more than 4 pages in length • No print smaller than 12 point font • Timeline-within 2 yrs of enactment: March 23, 2012

Summary and Case Studies

CDHC IN ACTION Case 1: 203 Benefited Employees: Current Plan: HMO Plan w/$10 co-pay for Doctor office visits; $40 Brand Drugs, $30 Generic, $20 mail order. Switch to plan w/$40 co-pay for Doctor office visits and $250 deductible for Brand Drugs —w/ in hospital deductible--HRA to cover $20 of Doctor visit co-pay and $250 of Brand Drugs Deductible plus hospital deduct; Employee now pays total of $20 for office visit and $50 for Brand Drugs Result: Employer first year savings of $127,000 after claims and administration costs-3 year cost savings over $330,00 Case 2: 23 Benefited Employees: Current Plan: PPO w/$250 deductible and 80/20 to $5,000, then 100% Switch to CDHC plan w/$1,000 deductible and 80/20 to $5,000, then 100% MERP to fund 80% of $1,000 after $250 deductible Result: First year savings of $4,704 after claims and administration costs after avoiding a 16% rate increase

Cost Summary

Present Plan Premium New Plan Premium

Gross Savings

Employer Savings Employee Savings

Total Savings Risk Variance Employer Savings: Sample Savings from iFlex 105

$ 226,860.84 $ 91,392.00

$ 121,689.96

$ 60,404.40 $ 61,285.56

$ 121,689.96 100% Claims $ 6,204.40 50% 22% (Expected) $ 32,304.40 $ 46,920.40

Questions